Have you ever wondered what it's like to interpret for a real prince? We have, too, and now that Dagy has had the experience, she's delighted to report on it for you.

To curtsy
or not to curtsy? That was the first thing that crossed my mind when the
Austrian State Department (officially the Ministry of Europe, Integration and
Foreign Affairs) called me about an interpreting assignment during the official
visit of the Prince of Wales to Austria. To make a long story short: there was
no need to curtsy and it was a great experience.

The Prince
of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, were on a whirlwind tour of
Europe and Austria was to be the last leg of their journey. They arrived
Wednesday afternoon, met a few dignitaries and attended a state banquet. I was
to interpret on their second and last day during Prince Charles’s short visit
to the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), a government agency that provides services
to recognized refugees.

My main
task was to spring into action whenever the Austrian Minister of the Interior
needed me and to interpret any German-language statements into English for His
Royal Highness. A few days before the
job, I received plenty of background information, made sure to memorize the
correct form of address (“Your Royal Highness”) and I also learned that
curtsying was not required. I’m all for respecting the protocol, but I was
actually quite relieved about that.

Image copyright: Bernhard ELBE LPD Wien

Since most
of the talking was done in English, I rarely had to intervene and I mostly
enjoyed the (almost) royal company (naturally, I saw him mostly from behind and
from the side). Not surprisingly, Prince Charles came across as very
approachable and likeable. He talked to refugees from Syria and Iraq, learned
about the services and volunteer-run programs offered by this government agency
and attended a so-called values and orientation workshop designed to introduce
refugees to Austrian values and society (see picture on the right).

The whole
visit lasted just 45 minutes, with perfect timing. After the motorcade with
Prince Charles left, everybody was happy that things went smoothly, including
the interpreter. Since Prince Charles
last visited Vienna 31 years ago with his late wife Diana, let’s hope he will
come back sooner than that, maybe as king. I certainly wouldn’t mind
being part of that experience again.

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Yes, we are twins

About us

We (Judy and Dagmar Jenner) are a pair of identical translating and interpreting twins working in Spanish, German, English, and French (Dagmar only). We were born in Austria, grew up in a bilingual household in Mexico City, and run our translation, interpreting and copywriting business, Twin Translations, from Vegas and Vienna (Austria). In this blog, we dispense (useful) tips and tricks on how to run a translation and interpreting business. We frequently share what we know with fellow linguists via our "The Entrepreneurial Linguist" workshop. The "Entrepreneurial Linguist" book has sold more than 5,000 copies and is available on www.lulu.com. Judy pens the monthly "Entrepreneurial Linguist" column for the American Translators Association's Chronicle and also serves as a spokesperson for the ATA. She holds an MBA in marketing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dagmar has a graduate degree in French, an undergraduate translation degree and a graduate degree in French and Spanish conference interpreting from the University of Vienna. She is the president of UNIVERSITAS Austria Interpreters' and Translators' Association and is an accredited freelance conference interpreter for the institutions of the European Union, where she works in the German booth. Judy is a federally certified Spanish court interpreter, a master-level certified Spanish court interpreter in Nevada, a certified Spanish court interpreter in California, a registered German court interpreter in Nevada, and a past president of the Nevada Interpreters and Translators Association, and serves as the organization's professional development committee. She also teaches in the University of California San Diego's Extension translation and interpreting certificate program.